ARTS | LONG ISLAND; Reviving the Memory Of a Blues Pioneer

By AILEEN JACOBSON

Published: August 19, 2012

Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor makes a strong case that the blues belter's obscurity is grievously undeserved.''Big Maybelle: Soul of the Blues,'' a semibiographical play by Paul Levine having its world premiere at Bay Street, is also a great showcase for Ms. White, a Broadway veteran who won a Tony Award in 1997 for her role in ''The Life'' and a Tony nomination for ''Fela!'' and who herself warrants wider recognition.">

The blues singer known as Big Maybelle, who recorded hit singles and toured the country during the 1950s and 1960s, is largely forgotten today, except perhaps by blues aficionados. However, the powerful performance by Lillias White at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor makes a strong case that the blues belter's obscurity is grievously undeserved.''Big Maybelle: Soul of the Blues,'' a semibiographical play by Paul Levine having its world premiere at Bay Street, is also a great showcase for Ms. White, a Broadway veteran who won a Tony Award in 1997 for her role in ''The Life'' and a Tony nomination for ''Fela!'' and who herself warrants wider recognition.

Ms. White makes her singing entrance with a raise-the-rafters rendition of ''Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On.'' In character as Big Maybelle, she points out that she recorded the song in 1955, two years before Jerry Lee Lewis did. She goes on to deliver more than two dozen emotion-laden songs, interspersed with narration about what it means to be ''a big black girl singing the blues.'' Ms. White sings in a deep, gritty voice that closely matches Big Maybelle's, which can be heard on YouTube.

If ''Big Maybelle'' were a concert alone, it would be a notable one, especially when it loosens up in the second act. A six-member band led by Michael Mitchell, a pianist and the musical director (with music supervision by Kenny Seymour), provides terrific accompaniment. The show's producers -- Bay Street Theater in association with Martin Richards and the Gilead Company -- are aiming for a transfer to Broadway, a Bay Street spokesman said.

John Arnone has designed a gracefully flexible set that evokes a recording studio, nightclubs and other locations. It is enhanced by Paul Miller's lighting, projections by Michael Clark and archival film footage collected by Joe Lauro. The costume designer ESosa has given Ms. White two handsome outfits, one similar to the ensemble Big Maybelle wore at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, which was captured on film.

It's the play part, which is directed by the author, that falls flat. The exposition Maybelle addresses to the audience between songs is neither compelling nor fresh-sounding, though Ms. White remains engaging.

The tale is sad and familiar. Born Mabel Louise Smith in 1924 in Jackson, Tenn., she sang gospel at church and discovered that singing made her feel ''safe from the meanness'' of those who criticized her size. During the course of the play, she mentions -- many times -- that she has low self-esteem, weight problems and diabetes. Later we hear about faithless men, a heroin habit, a career that never successfully crosses over to a white audience and record companies that cheat her.

A program note partly explains why the story sounds generic. Mr. Levine writes that because of ''the scarcity of accurate biographical information,'' he has based his play on her discography -- which, being the blues, is heavy on heartache -- and uses what he calls ''several iconographic characters'' to help portray her life. Some are unseen, like Fred Mendelsohn, the producer who discovered her, and a fellow named Tyrone, the first man to make love to her. After Tyrone abruptly leaves, she sings a wrenching ''Blues Early, Early,'' about waking up alone and discovering that ''my lover, he is gone.'' Ms. White writhes on a bed as she sings, making the pain palpable.

Band members portray two other characters: Eric Brown, a drummer, plays Sully, another man in her life, who introduces her to heroin and dallies with other women. Kiku Collins, a trumpeter, plays Loretta, one of Sully's girlfriends. Unfortunately, both characters are stick figures, used to illustrate the narration, and their scenes have no impact. Only the songs do.

And do they ever. They range from longing (''Until the Real Thing Comes Along'') to hopeful (''What a Difference a Day Makes'') to angry (''It's a Man's Man's World'') to doleful (nearly every other song).

The songs also include ''Candy,'' Maybelle's biggest hit (inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999). As Maybelle explains, white singers who recorded it before her, like Dinah Shore, didn't seem to understand that candy was a euphemism for heroin. Big Maybelle, and Ms. White, make sure you know it isn't just about having a sweet boyfriend. There is no such thing in Maybelle's world.

''Big Maybelle: Soul of the Blues,'' by Paul Levine, is at the Bay Street Theater, Long Wharf, Sag Harbor, through Sept. 2. Information: baystreet.org or (631) 725-9500.

PHOTOS: SAD STORY: Eric Brown as Sully with Kiku Collins, center, as Loretta and Lillias White as Maybelle Smith in ''Big Maybelle: Soul of the Blues,'' having its world premiere at the Bay Street Theater.; SONGS WITH IMPACT: The play is a showcase for Ms. White, who won a Tony Award for her role in ''The Life'' and was nominated for ''Fela!'' (PHOTOGRAPHS BY JERRY LAMONICA)

Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor makes a strong case that the blues belter's obscurity is grievously undeserved.''Big Maybelle: Soul of the Blues,'' a semibiographical play by Paul Levine having its world premiere at Bay Street, is also a great showcase for Ms. White, a Broadway veteran who won a Tony Award in 1997 for her role in ''The Life'' and a Tony nomination for ''Fela!'' and who herself warrants wider recognition.">